Natural Law and Sexual Ethics
- Created by: Grace Lidgett
- Created on: 11-04-13 14:34
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- Natural Law and Sexual Ethics
- The principle of Aquinas' natural law was that human life had a telos or purpose
- Aquinas assumed that humans shared a common human nature so general principles could be applied to everyone, everywhere at all times
- The purpose of sex according to natural law is to procreate - and so sex for any other reason is morally wrong
- Whilst the enjoyment of sex is allowed, it is only allowed if the intention of sex is to create a child
- In Summa Theologiae, Aquinas argued that sex can be morally wrong in two ways:
- Sex is wrong if its nature is incompatible with the purpose of procreation:- self-abuse (masturbation) intercourse with another species, acts with a person of the same sex, foreplay
- Sexual acts can be morally wrong even if natural - e.g. ****, incest, adultery
- Natural law also insists that being married before having sex is found in the bible
- Contraception breaks the primary precept to reproduce, so a secondary precept would be not to use contraception
- Premarital sex and extramarital sex both go against what Augustine believed were main components of marriage:- faithfulness, companionship and procreation
- Homosexuality is against nature and cannot be act upon but there is no sin in homosexual inclinations
- What about infertile married couples?
- Masturbation can stop people having sex without the intention of children?
- The principle of Aquinas' natural law was that human life had a telos or purpose
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